Bringing the differently abled into the fold creates an integrated workplace, thereby ensuring a sense of equality among all, writes Shashank Sinha
There is a growing trend that we are witnessing today to promote inclusivity and integrate the specially-abled into the mainstream functioning, thanks to the continuous efforts made by various non-profit organisations and Government bodies. While all energies are aimed to enable people with disabilities to gain universal access, equal opportunities for development, independent living and participation in all aspects of life, the pertinent question corporates and businesses need to ask is: Is inclusion merely a social responsibility initiative, or have we moved beyond social trends to looking at hiring them from a business perspectiveIJ Time to change our lenses, perhapsIJ
A recent UN report also revealed that India is home to over 100 million disabled citizens, however, only 1,00,000 are successful in obtaining employment within the industry in India. Moreover, the industry at present continues to fight high attrition, scarcity of qualified talent and a disengaged workforce.
To tackle this, several companies are now actively sourcing and hiring non-conventional talent, such as persons with disabilities, who are more loyal and committed towards the organisation. They are open to investing in these individuals by providing training and creating employment opportunities for them.
Corporates need to understand the various benefits of hiring differently-abled employees in order to find a large pool of untapped talent. listed below are key attributes that differently-abled professionals would bring to the workplace:
A sense of loyalty: In today’s economy, people are moving from one job to another like never before. Hence, hiring decisions made by the employers have to be absolutely right. This is because each hire brings along with it investment in terms of time, training and energy. A bad hire can cost a business and the replacement task can be quite troublesome. This has led to many businesses to look deeper into diversity hiring.
Companies agree that differently-abled workers are far more loyal, less distracted, more focused and do not resort to absenteeism compared to other workers. They are proud to do meaningful work and gain a sense of belongingness to the place and people around them.
A sense of understanding: Having faced a great extent of alienation and separation from the mainstream, people with disabilities inherently have an empathetic attitude towards others. Their sensitive side helps them understand their peers, their clientele and organisation better. It is this reason that helps them fit easily in roles in the hospitality industry, IT and customer relationship management.
Positive energy: Interestingly, when differently-abled workers are appreciated and valued for their good work, it creates a positive pressure on them to perform better and go out of their way. This not only boosts their confidence, but creates an optimistic environment which is extremely conducive for the growth of an organisation and its employees. In addition to this, people with disabilities are found to have a positive outlook and attitude towards life since they already have triumphed over their hardships. This also motivates other employees to push themselves to their fullest potential and appreciate the unique value they bring to the table.
Creating a compassionate workplace: The biggest benefit of bringing the differently abled into the fold is that it creates an integrated workplace, thereby ensuring a sense of equality among all. It instills a sense of compassion and empathy among people, thus fostering an environment of caring and sharing.
Bringing a different outlook: Considering that more and more companies are committed to be an equal-opportunity employer, the differently abled are no longer seen as a deterrent or a constraint to any workplace. In fact, since they have faced discrimination at some point in their lives, they are optimistic about their surroundings and have an outlook which is extremely different from their counterparts.
Creating an inclusive work environment requires both diversity training skills and an effective mechanism that supports the differently-abled workforce. A holistic environment is the one that focuses on developing employees’ cultural competence. It provides them with a set of skills, a set of attitudes, and behaviours that deal effectively with diversity at workplaces and enables them to empathise and work best in cross-cultural situations.
In the true sense of the term, an inclusive workplace is the one that promotes values of fairness, respect, equality, dignity and integrates into the organisation’s everyday goals and actions.
While we understand that there is a great amount of time and cost that goes behind training these employees, there is nothing that stops corporates and firms from translating this possibility into a reality. With technology as a backbone, there is hope of change in society, towards creating a fairer, more inclusive and humane work culture. A world where every person deserves a chance to reach his or her full potential and become an asset in the true sense of the term.
lastly, it is important to note that diversity is a business imperative and not a social responsibility. Hence, there should be clear business objectives for an organisation to hire differently-abled people. Most of these people have been marginalised and kept out of the workforce, hence it is necessary to break the myth that they might not perform on par with the others. Differently-abled people come with diverse ideas, and nurturing them is the way to go for a strong foundation.
A SUCCESS STORY
A pioneer in water purification systems and leading health and hygiene company, Eureka Forbes, in 2011 conceptualised the world’s largest customer care call center, EuroAble, managed by physically challenged individuals. Having products which require great maintenance and care, the company required a dedicated workforce to look after the call management function. In addition to the physically challenged individuals, the aim of this call centre now is to include the visually challenged into becoming competent executives. The vision is to achieve a five-fold increase in employees, going from 107 to 500 plus, in two years from now.
The writer is Senior General Manager, Marketing, Eureka Forbes limited